Shemot (parsha)

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Shemot, Shemoth, or Shemos (שמות – Hebrew for “names,” the second word – and first distinctive word – of the parshah) is the thirteenth weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the book of Exodus. It constitutes Exodus 1:1–6:1. Jews in the Diaspora read it the thirteenth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in late December or January.

Contents 1 Summary 2 Commandments 3 Haftarah 4 Further reading 5 External links

[edit] Summary

Main article: Exodus

A new Pharaoh, who "knew not Joseph," became concerned about the military implications of the large increase in the Israelite population. Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites with forced labor and ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all male babies. A daughter of Pharaoh found the male infant of a Levite and called him "Moses" (translating as "- is born"). Moses was brought up as an Egyptian, but eventually sympathized with the suffering Israelites. Moses killed an Egyptian overseer who was oppressing a Hebrew slave.

Moses fled the country. Moses’ exile took him to Midian, where he became shepherd to the priest Jethro and married his daughter, Zipporah. As Moses fed the sheep on Mount Sinai, God appeared to him from a burning bush, which failed to turn to ash. God ordered Moses to demand the release of the Israelites from Pharaoh, and gave him the power to perform two magical signs to show his authority. Moses’ brother Aaron, mentioned here for the first time, was appointed to assist him. On Moses’ return to Egypt, God tried to kill Moses, but Zipporah, at the inn, performed a circumcision, saving Moses’ life.

Pharaoh refused Moses’ request. Instead, Pharaoh oppressed the people still further and ordered them to make bricks without straw. Moses complained to God. God announced to Moses that God would display a greater might to cause Pharaoh to send the Israelites away.

[edit] Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are no commandments in the parshah.

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is:

• for Ashkenazi Jews: Isaiah 27:6–28:13 & 29:22–23
• for Sephardi Jews: Jeremiah 1:1–2:3

[edit] Further reading

The parshah is cited or discussed in these classical sources:

• Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 2:9:1–2:13:4.
• Mishnah: Hallah 4:9; Sotah 1:9; Avot 5:6; Yadayim 4:8.
• Tosefta: Rosh Hashanah 2:13; Chagigah 1:4; Sotah 4:12, 10:10;
• Qur'an 20:9–48; 26:10–29; 27:7–12; 28:3–35; 79:15–19.
• Exodus Rabbah 1:1–5:23.
• Zohar 2:2a–22a.

[edit] External links

• Parashat Shemot
• Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation
• Commentaries from the Jewish Theological Seminary
• Torah Insights from the Orthodox Union
• Commentaries from Chabad-Lubavitch
• Commentaries from the Union for Reform Judaism
• Commentaries from Reconstructionist Judaism
• Text studies and commentaries from MyJewishLearning.com